My current work is a series of three-dimensional drawings based on the imagery and symbolism of Korean decorative arts.  These pieces are based on the intense patterns and vibrant color schemes of Korean wrapping cloths, called pojagi.  These four cornered cloths, which are used for wrapping, carrying, or covering objects, are often decorated with geometric patterns and floral motifs.

The significant patterns and colors of pojagi cloths recall a tradition of folk beliefs in a living and powerful landscape.  The iconography features flowers, animals, and features of the natural landscape that are associated with protection from harm and desires for wealth, longevity, and fertility.  My work explores the repetitive gestures of decoration as a visualization of desire and obsession.

I began this series with research on traditional pojagi patterns, and the intention to transform each pattern into something more than a visually pleasing device.  Another intention was to remain faithful to the idea of creating a decorative object that is alluring to the eye and is painstakingly crafted over its entire surface.  I developed a process of layering prints in such quantity that sculptural forms are created.  Printed on translucent mylar, the pieces have the sheen and semi-transparency of silk.  I carefully handcut the layers, producing elaborate patterns by removing rather than adding material.  The process of constructing volume through multiple layering creates a dialogue between positive and negative, interior and exterior, and visible and invisible form.

Each piece begins with a drawing done by hand in the studio.  The labor-intensive process combines the control and perfection of digitally printed mark-making with the expressiveness and variability of hand-drawn imagery.  During the installation process, the pieces, which are composed of up to thirty layers, are aligned to create form, shape, and depth.  The cumulative effect is a visual experience that combines two and three dimensional modes of perception.